


crash that column into the wall

by likewinning



Category: DCU (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Comment Fic, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-25
Updated: 2014-10-25
Packaged: 2018-03-05 07:15:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3110867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/likewinning/pseuds/likewinning
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tim accepts to become Jason's Robin during Battle for the Cowl. Written for Comment Fic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	crash that column into the wall

"You know he's crazy, right?" Dick asks. He hasn't stopped frowning at Tim in what could be hours.

"We all dress up in costumes every night and beat up criminals," Tim points out. "Sanity is… relative."

Somewhere in the distance there's a soft _ttt_. Damian is spying on them. It's fine. Tim is on his way out of the Batcave for – he won't say forever.

But.

"You know what I mean," Dick says. "He's not like the rest of us. He's –"

"Like Bruce, after Jason died," Tim says. Dick's eyes widen, startled. Tim has _thought_ about this.

"You remember how he was," Tim says. "Brash. Angry. Chaotic."

"So that's what this is," Dick says. He's still grimacing, but there's understanding there, too. "You think if you're _his_ Robin, you can bring him back."

Tim doesn't want to put it that way, but. He breathes out. "Every Batman needs a Robin."

"Even an imposter?" Dick asks.

"I was an imposter Robin after him," Tim says. "Why not have a team of them?"

"You were never –" Dick starts, but Tim shakes his head, grins something fierce.

"You could stay with us," Dick says. He looks young, too young to be Batman – Tim has wondered, often, if Bruce was ever really this young. "There's a place for you here."

"You don't need me," Tim says. He's leaving. He sees the spot where Damian is hiding, watching them. "Jason does."

Tim leaves the Cave to the sound, in the distance, of Damian saying, "What he needs is for us to kick his a –"

 

*

 

Jason laughs at first, maybe because the first words Tim says when he tracks Jason down are, "I'm not going to kill anybody."

"That's okay, baby bird," Jason says. "I wouldn't ask that of you."

As it turns out, Jason doesn't ask a lot – at least not on the level Tim expected. He lets Tim follow him into fights, has him help out with intel – but he never makes Tim get his hands dirty.

It's – it's not what Tim expected out of someone who's nearly killed him before.

But then, he figures Jason didn't expect someone who he nearly killed to say yes.

 

*

Jason's safehouse is clean. Efficient. Tim manages to get his blood all over it from a gunshot wound.

"Idiot," Jason says. His cowl's off, suit still on, as he kneels on the floor in front of Tim to attend to Tim's injury.

He didn't listen the first four times Tim told him he could do it himself. 

"Don't take this the wrong way," Jason says as he digs the bullet out of Tim's shoulder, while Tim grits his teeth and tries not to grab onto Jason, "but my reflexes are better than yours, and my armor's stronger. Maybe don't jump in front of a bullet for me next time."

The bullet comes out and Tim somehow doesn't howl, but he does sort of – whimper. Jason's eyes shoot toward his and Tim feels himself flinch.

Bruce never talked to him at the end, not beyond the preliminaries, but Jason –

"Hey," Jason says. Jason's eyes are this bright, beautiful blue. It's one of those details Tim categorized when Jason first came back, fitting them in with what he'd known about Jason _before_.

"You're okay, man," Jason tells him, and Tim has learned that he's allowed to argue with Jason, but he doesn't now.

Dick never used to talk about Jason, except that he was gone, and Bruce –

"You wanted a Robin," Tim tells him. Jason's patching him up, and for someone who does what he does, he's _gentle_ here, and Tim says, "We're built with martyr complexes."

Jason pauses. There's a bottle of whiskey on the floor that he'd offered Tim when they started in here, but Tim had refused. Now, Jason reaches over and takes a sip of it. Bruce would –

Well, Bruce is. Gone.

Not _dead_ , Tim still isn't _convinced_ , but –

Jason's quiet until Tim's all fixed up, still aching but he'll live. He's still on the floor in front of Tim when he says, "I wanted _you_ , though. You're not like the rest of us. Not so impulsive. You actually _think_ before you –"

"Drop everything and track down someone who used to want me dead and offer myself up as a sidekick?" It's the most Tim's said in hours, and it hurts.

Jason smirks. Everything hurts. Jason smirks, and says, "I never wanted you dead. Well," he amends at Tim's raised eyebrow. "For a minute there, yeah, but also –" Jason's looking _at_ him, not through him, and Tim thinks maybe he's starting to get it.

"I wanted _you_ ," Jason says again, and Tim knows he's crazy, knows a lot of things about Jason by now, more than any of them would ever tell him, but he also – 

He knows Jason needs him.

And maybe he needs Jason, too.


End file.
